gMail

[|Official Gmail Blog]

When they launched Gmail, Google set out to [|change the way email works]. It designed it so you should never have to delete mail and always be able to find the message you want. Since then, they've added things like [|integrated chat], [|mobile access], more storage, and better spam protection.

This Week's Tip: from https://sites.google.com/site/techtipstuesday/Home

 * THE TOP TEN REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD BE USING GMAIL**

//Inspired by David Letterman, here are the top ten reasons you should consider using Gmail for your web-based email program://

10. You //__shouldn't__// be using your school email account for **personal business**. Consider having all personal email forwarded to a Gmail account. Remember, if you signed up for your Google account with a different email address - you don't have a Gmail account - but if you have a Gmail account - then you already have a Google account.

9. With Gmail you aren't tied to one computer to retrieve your email. You can **access your Gmail account from any computer** that has Internet access - and even your mobile phone! Just go to [|http://mail.google.com.]

8. Take advantage of **[|Keyboard Shortcuts]** in Gmail to get through your email even faster. To turn these case-sensitive shortcuts on or off, click [|**Settings**], and then pick an option next to Keyboard shortcuts.

7. **Themes** allow you to customize the look and feel of your Gmail account. Get creative and choose one of the colored or artistic [|THEMES] for your Gmail page. In the upper right hand side of your Gmail page choose Settings / Themes and pick the one that suits you.

6. Gmail uses **[|labels]** to help you organize with more flexibility. A conversation can have several labels, so you're not forced to choose one particular folder for messages. You can also create [|filters] to automatically manage incoming mail. **[|Starring] messages** is another way you can organize your inbox.

5. You can use Google **SEARCH** within Gmail to find the exact message you want - no matter when it was sent or received. __**Don't sort your mail - SEARCH!**__

4. You get TONS of **space** with Gmail. Instead of wasting time deleting old messages - you can ARCHIVE email - which frees up space but is still searchable if you need it sometime.

3. You don't waste time with junk mail and unwanted messages. If an unwanted message slips through to your inbox, just click on the **SPAM** button and the spam filters will catch any further incoming mail from the sender BEFORE it ever reaches your inbox.

2. You can **organize your replies into conversations**. Within Gmail, each message you SEND is grouped with all the responses you RECEIVE. As you receive more responses, the threaded conversation grows and keeps track of it all in chronological order.

//... and the #1 reason why you should use Gmail ...//

1. Its **FREE**!!! //[|Learn more ...]// ___
 * Learn about some of Gmail's unique features on the [| Getting Started page].
 * Follow our [| Switching Guide] to learn how to announce your new Gmail address, import your contacts, and forward your email from Yahoo! Mail, Outlook, Hotmail, and others.
 * [| Set up your mobile phone] to get super-fast access to Gmail.
 * Visit our [| Help Center] to find specific answers to all your questions.
 * [|Gmail has increased its file storage size to 25mb! So you can send and receive messages up to 25 megabytes (MB) in size, but you may not be able to send larger attachments to contacts who use other email services with smaller attachment limits.][[image:Picture_9.png caption="Become a Gmail ninja!" link="http://www.google.com/mail/help/tips.html#utm_source=en-US-et-newfea&utm_medium=et&utm_campaign=en-US"]]

[|7 Most Useful Gmail Labs Features]
Since the [|introduction] of Gmail Labs, new features have been added steadily. Some are [|just for fun], while others can add to [|improving your productivity]. Here is a roundup of the most useful features you will find in [|Gmail Labs] at this point, and how they can help you do more with Gmail.

1. Send & Archive
[|Added to labs only a few days ago], ‘Send & Archive’ is a great solution for those of us who like to keep their inbox as empty as possible. After sending a message, you would normally have to click an additional button to archive a thread. Now, you can do both with just one mouse-click. > Let’s say it takes an additional 2 seconds to archive each message after you send it, and you do this to 20 messages a day, then by using this feature you can save 4 hours a year. Doesn’t seem like that much, but that is just for one task. When streamlining more of our day to day activities, we could save enough time to justify an extra vacation.

2. Tasks
Peter has already [|blogged about Gmail Tasks], and without a doubt it is one of the most useful developments in Gmail Labs. Although there are countless other ‘to-do-list organizers’, it is handy to have one right in Gmail. The time you save from not logging into multiple websites for your email and task list can also add up over time. I’m not even mentioning how nice it is to cut down on yet another unnecessary tab.

3. Superstars in your inbox
I am the type of person who stars just about everything. When an email needs to get replied to, forwarded, or when it contains some sort of important information I will need later, it always get’s a bright shiny star. Starring helps me navigate my inbox faster, and find the information I need to look at again at a later time. However, before Labs every star was the same. By enabling [|‘Superstars’] in Gmail Labs there are different types of stars you can assign to different types of emails. For example, info that needs to be copies into my calendar gets a red star. Emails I need to respond to later get a yellow star. When I need to update my calendar, I just type in “has:red-star”, and all relevant messages are lined up in a second. This feature saves me an endless amount of time every day.

4. Take a Break!
Email addicts, like me, have to be reminded to take a break and walk around once in a while. By the time you’re parched and stiff, but still stubbornly typing away, you are already far overdue for a few minutes to yourself. Gmail can help you get some down-time by forcing a break. Acknowledge your addiction by enabling ‘Email Addict’ in Labs. You can specify how often your screen will freeze up and tell you to get up and take five.

5. Forgotten Attachment Detector
By far my favorite feature is the Forgotten Attachment Detector. Over are the days of sending multiple emails with embarrassed apologies because I forgot an attachment, or two. This little tool picks up on whether your email message refers to an attached file, and alerts you when you try to hit send without actually attaching the file in question.

6. Google Calender in Gmail
Again cutting down on the number of tabs you need to keep open in your browser, you can display a mini-version of your [|Google Calendar]. Easily keep track of upcoming appointments for the day, without leaving Gmail.

7. Google Docs Gadget
If you are an avid user of [|Google Docs], it is handy to keep a shortcut to your favorite (i.e. most used) docs right in your inbox. Activate this gadget, and you’ll see a list of docs pop up in your Gmail.This is different from the [|“create a document”] feature, but just (perhaps even more) handy. emails you really shouldn't send, the Goggles make you perform a series of math calculations such as addition, multiplication and division problems. While I wouldn't suggest that students get tipsy, it might be a fun way to encourage kids to practice basic math skills along with language arts if the feature is enabled, rewarding them for rapidly solving problems before they can click the send button. The Goggles can be set for specific days and times (default is Friday and Saturday nights of course) but could be set for when Math class meets.
 * Goggles--**--in the Gmail labs. At the very top of your (at least mine) Gmail page, right next to 'Settings' you should find a little green beaker. Click there and you will be presented with a confounding array of lab gadgets, everything from a Snake game remake to special buttons, calendars and more. The Goggles are about the 22nd one from the top. Designed to make you prove your sobriety so you don't send
 * Goggles--**--in the Gmail labs. At the very top of your (at least mine) Gmail page, right next to 'Settings' you should find a little green beaker. Click there and you will be presented with a confounding array of lab gadgets, everything from a Snake game remake to special buttons, calendars and more. The Goggles are about the 22nd one from the top. Designed to make you prove your sobriety so you don't send